A new epic fantasy series from highly acclaimed fantasy author Brian McClellan, set in the same world as the Powder Mage trilogy.

A world on the cusp of a new age…

The young nation of Fatrasta is a turbulent place – a frontier destination for criminals, fortune hunters, brave settlers, and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. Only the iron will of the lady chancellor and her secret police holds the capital city of Landfall together against the unrest of an oppressed population and the machinations of powerful empires.

Sedition is a dangerous word….

The insurrection that threatens Landfall must be purged with guile and force, a task that falls on the shoulders of a spy named Michel Bravis, convicted war hero Mad Ben Styke, and Lady Vlora Flint, a mercenary general with a past as turbulent as Landfall’s present.

The past haunts us all….

As loyalties are tested, revealed, and destroyed, a grim specter as old as time has been unearthed in this wild land, and the people of Landfall will soon discover that rebellion is the least of their worries.

I have been a fan of Brian McClellen’s books Since the first one came out in 2013. Promise of Blood was the title and it was one of my favorite covers that year. In fact all three books of the Powder Mage trilogy possess cool sounding titles and completely awesome cover art. Sins of Empire continues that tradition as far as the title goes but sadly I was not impressed with the cover this time around. Don’t take that wrong, it is a good cover just not poster worthy like the signed ones on my wall. Actually it was one of Brian’s covers that gave me the Idea of making posters to have signed for my audiobooks.

I listened to the audiobook for Sins of Empire read by Christian Rodska He has done all of the Powder mage books and does a great job with the different male voices but not so good with the females. His unusual gravelly voice fits perfectly for these books though. You should check out this animated sample I made of Promise of Blood to see what I mean

OK now let’s talk specifically about Sins of Empire. It starts 10 years after the original trilogy ends and takes place on a different continent that we have only heard mentioned before as the place Taniel Two-shot had helped fight for Fatrastan independence from the Kez.

I was happy to see some of the characters I know and love from previous books return like Vlora, Olem, and others. But there are also some great new ones we meet, my favorite of which is Mad Ben Styke. Believe me you will like him too.

I had high expectations for Sins of Empire after the great story told in the first three books. I am glad to say I was not disappointed. In fact this new trilogy looks to be even more epic in scale, and that is saying something.

As far as plot goes won’t spoil anything but I will say I loved how this book had more than one main plot. I know that sounds like a recipe for a confusing disaster of a novel. but the way it was done it was more like it was the first two books of a series instead of just one.

Vlora and Olem have turned the Riflejacks into a Mercenary company. They have been working for the Fatrastan government putting down small revolts on the boarders of this young nation and soon after we meet up with them they are called back to the capital city of Landfall by the lady chancellor.

Landfall is a pretty interesting place. It is the capital of a new nation but it is literally built on the foundations of the past. I won’t go into why they are called back but that is how the book starts,

Final Thoughts

This is a great audiobook that was like getting two books for the price of one. Not only for its long length of over 19 hours but plot as well. I missed some old Characters but the new ones more than made up for it. You could pick this up without having read the first trilogy but I would have to ask you why you haven’t read them already. I rate Sins of Empire 4.75 out of 5 stars